KIRKUS REVIEW

Right off the bat,
Winter, a board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, dispels a
powerful sleep myth: he asserts that everyone sleeps. In fact, he argues that
insomnia is not an inability to sleep; instead, it reflects a person’s
dissatisfaction with the quality of the sleep and, in many cases, an
accompanying anxiety about a perceived lack of sleep. This reorientation of the
problem casts a long shadow on the crowded market of sleep solutions, and the
author cuts through the noise of pharmaceuticals and gimmicks to propose
natural, implementable solutions that anyone can try at home. Throughout the
book, his tone is refreshingly conversational, and while he backs up his
suggestions with established research, he keeps the jargon to a minimum and
focuses on clearly laying out a) the most common reasons a person’s sleep is
disrupted or unsatisfactory and b) how to train the mind and body to regularly
achieve restful, satisfying sleep. This is not to say that everyone can solve
their sleep problems by lifestyle modifications alone; Winter examines the
medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, that can result in disrupted sleep and
long-term poor health. He also recommends an occasional device to help regulate
sleep patterns or make bedtime more consistently enjoyable. However, the big
takeaway is that sleep conditions are treatable without taking a pill and that,
like so many things, a psychological adjustment may be the key to success.
Many people will find this fact alone a huge relief from sleep-related stress
and will be on their ways to achieving better rest.

The rare book that may
help sufferers of poor sleep improve their quality of rest simply by elucidating
the context of good sleep and offering the right techniques to achieve it.

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